Destiny's Remnant
by JimFlint
Summary: Guardians are humanity's salvation and protection from the things that revel in Darkness. Follow a newly made Guardian named Jaune, and his Ghost, Crocea Mors in exploring the world as they strive to learn more about themselves and this broken world they are supposed to save. M for violence and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Uhhh… Hi? Jaeger, how you think they gonna take this?**

**Like a custom rifle-scythe to the face. **

**That's kinda what I thought too….**

**But hey, like my favorite insane CEO always said, "It's not about why. It's about why not!"**

**Not sure that's a great philosophy, but I really can't argue….**

**Exactly! So take a seat everyone! **

Destiny's Remnants

New Beginnings.

BETA: ErenJaeger17

* * *

"Guardian! Guardian, wake up!"

The guardian felt… something. He heard a voice shouting out at… someone. Life surged through him and he drew a desperate breath.

"You're awake! Yes! I need you to get up now!"

"Who? What?" The man coughed and rolled over, dust and debris fell from his body as he tried to remember what had happened. He couldn't remember _anything_.

Looking around desperately, his eyes took in the first light of a new day. Darkness blanketed him, draping his surroundings in shadows. He couldn't find the source of the voice.

He couldn't remember anything….

Slowly, twilight began to return to his world, causing him to stare at the distant horizon. Golden rays soon burst through the sky as he watched his first sunrise ignite the dim world around him with new life.

"Guardian. Listen closely to me." The source of the voice came into to view and the man jerked back in surprise, "It's ok, you're safe. I suppose you have a lot of questions."

* * *

"I'm so glad I found you, Guardian." The 'Ghost' said, its voice softer, more feminine, "I've been searching for you for a long, long time."

The man stared at the Ghost in fascination, watching as an aura of white light seemed to hold triangular sections in place around a orb of white metal. The center of the orb held the ghost's optics, with shutters twitched wider as it examined him.

"So, you're a ghost." The man said. Reaching a hand out and tapping one of the eight triangles that orbited its core, four that angled forwards around its eye, and four more that angled backwards.

"Yes, well. Now I'm _your_ Ghost." The machine said, almost giggling as it rotated it's sections rapidly, the front section rotating clockwise while the read rotated counter clockwise.

"Ok. I got that. And I'm a 'Guardian'?" The man shook his head, still processing the excitable, rapid speech pattern.

"Yup! You were chosen by the Traveler to be one of humanity's protectors." The Ghost said again.

"And I'm supposed to fight against this… Darkness, You called it?"

"Yup again! Fallen, Hive, various groups of no do gooders."

The Guardian nodded his head slowly, still absorbing the information. He glanced down at his bare hands, opening and closing them as he felt new life. New strength running through his body. The tattered clothes he wore left him nearly naked, though the warm air felt refreshing on his skin. A soft breeze ruffled his hair as it sighed through the trees that surrounded the two beings, something that called to the Guardian as he took a deep breath, once again marveling at the sensation of life.

"Ok, sounds like fun… Oh, you never told me your name!" He said, quickly looking at his Ghost.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot." The Ghost floated up to eye level, it white, gold trimmed shell rotating again, "My name, is Crocea Mors. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Guardian."

The man gave an honest smile, his blue eyes framed by messy blonde hair as he rolled the name around in his head. He still couldn't remember anything from before he was 'Raised', though he felt… a familiar word? When he tried to remember his name.

"Do you remember anything? your name?" Crocea asked, floating a little closer as her eye shutter narrowed.

"I… I think it was… Jaune?"

* * *

Jaune couldn't help but gaze around in wonder as he and his Ghost walked through a forest, heading to what Crocea had called 'The Wall' that surrounded the Last City. Humanity's last stronghold on earth.

The sun had risen higher in the sky, the time as well past noon, the hours of walking passed quickly as Crocea had filled him in on the history of the world; The Traveler and the basics of the City and what it meant to be humanity's protector.

"So, Crocea, how long was I… Dead?" He asked as they passed a destroyed town. He winced at the shattered walls of homes and the rusted shells of vehicles that lay strewn around the street. The forest had reclaimed much of the town, trees had grown through the buildings and thick vegetation covered almost everything. Walking a little further, Jaune glanced back to find the town all but invisible, swallowed once more by nature.

He felt a pang of despair at the lives that had been lost to the passing of time.

"I… Don't know exactly, hundreds of years for sure." Crocea said, floating lazily beside him, "But that doesn't matter now, you're alive again!"

Jaune chuckled at the lively chipper in her voice. He should have felt… something, about that. But there was no feeling of longing for his past life. No concern over what had once been.

It was… strange.

"Wait."

Jaune stopped immediately and dropped to a crouching position at the worry in Crocea's whispered voice.

"What? What is it?" He asked in a sharp whisper as he strained his eyes and ears for any sound of danger.

Crocea floated upwards a few feet before quickly diving back down, "It's a Fallen scouting party… Damn it, I was hoping we'd find another guardian before we ran into them…" The white and gold Ghost floated in front of him, "You're going to have to fight them."

Jaune recoiled slightly. "What? But you said I needed armor and weapons before I tried to fight anything!" He hissed, finally hearing the sound of shuffling feet and strange, guttural clicking sounds coming from further up the path he was walking.

"I know, I know. But _they_ aren't gonna wait around for you to find something." She hissed back, her parts shifting rapidly as she glanced between him and the sounds, "Look. This is a high light area, if you die, I can revive you again. You don't have to fear death anymore."

Jaune took a shaky breath as a primal desire _not_ to die clamped onto his mind.

"Ok. Ok. Ok. How many are there?" He asked, quickly looking around for anything he could use as a weapon.

"At least a dozen Dregs, short and weak, but fairly fast, they use knives, pistols and grenades."

Jaune gulped, a dozen? He'd yet to even see any other living thing save for some wildlife. How fast were they? How much would _dying_ hurt? He looked down and once more lamented his lack of protective clothing.

"Two shanks, floating machines with rapid fire SMGs."

Great! Awesome!

Looking down, Jaune picked up a large rock and hefted it to get a feel for it's weight. "Can't we skirt around them?" He asked, really wishing he had something useful.

"No, the shanks would be able to track us."

Shit.

The chattering sounds were getting closer. He was out of time. Looking around, he leapt behind a nearby bush as the sounds drew nearer.

Jaune held his breath as the first Fallen rounded the bend. Peering through the shrubbery, He got his first look at the Fallen. The Dregs looked to be about four, four and a half feet tall, with slouched posture and strange, double kneed legs. Scraps of blue cloth hung over what Jaune guessed to be light armor, and holstered weapons.

They also had four arms each.

They were walking in a loose column, three or four wide as they clicked and chattered between them.

What he guessed were the Shanks brought up the rear, floating six or so feet above the ground and appeared more alert than the others. That might have been because they were clearly machines. Twin barrels poked out from the front of their squat, rounded bodies with two jet like things on their back that kept them afloat.

"Just remember, you're stronger than they are. Punch them in the face."

Jaune leveled the best deadpan look he could muster at the Ghost.

He was about to retort when the Fallen suddenly came to a stop in front of his bush and began chattering loudly, looking around suspiciously. One of them drew a knife.

Welp. So much for hiding.

Jaune burst through the shrubbery with a war cry, rock held high as he bore down on the closest enemy.

The Fallen screamed in surprise, backpedaling away from sudden attack. It was too slow and Jaune brought the rock down with a sickening crack as the Dreg's helmet shattered, bluish red blood splattered out as it fell lifelessly to the ground.

The remaining Fallen retaliated by with blistering gunfire. Jaune let out a cry of pain as something tore through his shoulder and electricity burned through his body. His cry of pain warped into a roar of anger as he whipped the rock into the next closest Dreg.

Reaching outward, Jaune tried to ignore the rounds that tore through him and the pain in his body. Grabbing one of the Dregs, he snapped its arm upper right arm, forcing it to drop the knife in its hand.

Jaune gasped for breath as more bullets tore through his flesh. Closing his eyes in pain, he channeled the last of his strength into a ferocious headbutt before the Fallen finally managed to bring him down.

A sigh and a gasp escaped him as another round tore a chunk of flesh from his shoulder. The pain faded as Jaune's grasp on consciousness faded away.

.

.

.

"Jaune? Can you hear me?"

"Ugh… I want to throw up."

"Well it is quite fortunate that you are unable to do so." Corcea said, a slight snark in her voice. "Open your eyes."

Jaune tried, and succeeded. Though not in the way he expected. The world was a strange blue hue, with white, tetrahedron shapes floating around him.

"What? Where am I?"

"Your… soul is contained with in my shell. This allows be me to resurrect you if you fall in battle." She explain in a calm tone as Jaune tried to get his bearing in this strange new perspective.

"Getting shot still hurts." He said crossly.

"Well, duh."

Jaune took a moment to view his surroundings, the were still behind the bush he'd leapt from and he could hear the excited chatter of the Fallen just on the other side.

"Ok. So what, we have to get to my body to revive me?" He asked, still not sure how much, if any, damage Crocea was able to take.

"Nope! I've already reclaimed all necessary material and Light needed." She said brightly.

Jaune's perspective suddenly blurred and narrowed and a feeling of vertigo overwhelmed him. With a brief flash, he himself standing in the bush, in his own body. Running his hands over himself, he found no scars from the Fallen's weapons. None at all!

"Huh." Jaune couldn't help the sudden laugh that escaped him, oh, this was going to be all to easy.

Gunfire shredded his hiding place.

* * *

"It only took you twenty minutes to kill fourteen low level enemies." Crocea Mors said, voice resigned as she floated over to Jaune, who was sitting in the middle of the trail. A multitude of scars and wounds littered his body, "And I had to rez you eight times."

Jaune winced, looking down sheepishly as the Ghost hovered in front of him. Despite lacking any facial features, the small thing was able to convey a sense of incredulous wonder. Not the good kind either.

"Well, I'm still proud of you." She said, pieces shifting into something Jaune translated as a happy positioning. Seeing it caused Jaune to perk up a little. "You are a strange Guardian, but I suppose I'm stuck with you. Now, let's get you healed up."

Jaune felt a soft, warm feeling wash over him as a bluish white light shone from Crocea, swiping up and over him. All the aches and pains that plagued him were suddenly alleviated, causing him to blink in surprise before he stood up.

"Wow, that feels amazing." He said, jumping up and down. It was incredible really, he almost felt stronger.

"Yes, your light is getting stronger already!" Crocea chirped as she floated backwards a few feet, "Once we get you some armor, you'll be even stronger!"

"Where are we going to get that?" Jaune asked, looking at the corpses that littered the ground, "I don't really want to die over and over if we've still got a long way to go."

"Don't worry! I think I can scavenge something from these pirates." She said, suddenly pivoting on her axis before floating over to the Fallen bodies.

Jaune watched as Crocea floated over the bodies and began scanning. After a few minutes, she let out an excited sound and hurried back over to him, "Here close your eyes and concentrate on me."

Raising an eyebrow, Jaune complied.

After a moment of nothing, he was suddenly aware of a bluish white light. Then, Crocea appeared before him, floating in his mind's eye.

"Whoa, what is this?" He asked, noting a slight echo to his voice, as if he was speaking in his own head.

"This is the Link between a Ghost and their Guardian." Crocea said, her voice having a similar echo, "Here, you can access everything in your inventory, and once you have a ship, you can select which weapons and armor you want in the blink of an eye!"

"That's pretty cool." Jaune said, absorbing the various amounts of information before him.

"Here, concentrate on this area." Crocea said, floating over a cluster of of box shaped light.

Jaune did as instructed and saw the box expand. Or rather, it was like he was looking inside it. There was a piece of armor highlighted in pale white.

"Ok, now concentrate on the chest piece."

Jaune did so.

He suddenly felt a weight pressing on his shoulders, snapping him out of the Link. Looking down, he was shocked to see his shoulders, chest and stomach covered in light, segmented armor.

"Holy crap! That's awesome!" He said, rapping his fist against the plate.

"There's more," Crocea said, "Focus on the Link again and I'll show you."

Jaune excitedly reengaged the Link.

"So I was able to scavenge enough to get you all the armor except a Warlock Bond and a helmet." She said, "I had to have enough for a weapon, but this is the best I can do for now."

"Crocea, this is amazing." Jaune said, repeating the process for his arms and legs, feeling the weight of the pieces forming on his body. He exited the Link to look over his body.

Gone were the torn rags he'd worn, in their place were sets of white, golden trimmed robes. Beneath a thick chest plate, heavy duty cloth wrapped around down around his abdomen like a tabard, splitting near his hips to allow unhindered movement. His arms were now covered with armored bracers and thick gloves.

Looking down, Jaune found his legs similarly armored with a material that felt unusually flexible, tucked beneath a set of greaves and tucked into thigh high boots.

They felt lighter than he'd expected, proving not to limit his range of motion in any way. He felt lighter in general. He laughed and ran around in a small circle as Crocea floated nearby, laughing at him.

After a few laps, Jaune calmed back down, still marveling at his gear.

"I take it you approve?" Crocea said, floating towards him.

"Hell yea!" He said, earning another laugh from his Ghost.

"Just wait till you get your hands on some higher tier gear, this stuff'll feel like garbage."

"Maybe, but till then, this should help me survive for longer."

Crocea chortled as she floated forwards, "You still haven't seen your weapon yet." She chided, causing Jaune to blink, then flush.

"Uh, right. Weapon." He reengaged the Link and focused on the appropriate area, to the 'left' of the Link. Just like with the armor, the slot with floating text labeled 'Primary', opened in his mind's eye. Sitting there was an Auto Rifle. The question of how he _knew_ that was written off as 'weird shit that's happened today' and quickly forgotten.

Once the Rifle was selected, Jaune felt a weight settle into his right hand and he opened his eyes.

"This is a Pariah class Auto Rifle," Crocea said, floating in front of him, "pretty basic, but a reliable enough weapon to get you to the City."

"Cool." Jaune said, lifting the weapon in his hands as he examined it before holding to his shoulder with a disturbingly familiar grace. This time, he made note to ask about it later, returning his attention to his Ghost and her explanation.

"So it's pretty straight forward, point at whatever you want dead and pull the trigger." Crocea explained, "When the magazine is empty, press the release button and reach to your belt, your chest piece will have a new mag ready for you."

"Nifty." Jaune said as he sighted down the barrel of his new weapon. "Oh, hey, earlier you mentioned you couldn't make a Warlock Bond. Is that the type of Guardian I am? A Warlock?"

Crocea froze in place for a moment, seemingly shocked by the question before her triangle shaped pieces drooped and she gazed at the ground.

"I… I was so caught up in the excitement of finding you…" Her voice was suddenly shy and soft "And telling you about everything, I completely forgot to tell you about the differences… and _what_ class of Guardian you are…"

"Hey, it's okay." He said, reaching out and patting her 'head', "Now that I've got some armor and a gun, you can tell me all about it."

His words and actions brought immediate life back to the little Ghost as she perked up, "You're right! You're right! Ok. So here is the breakdown."

* * *

The sun was setting as Jaune reached the what must have been an interstate or highway at one time, judging by the amount of rusted vehicles that lined the broken stretch of concrete.

"We should find a place to settle down for the night." Crocea said, floating next to him as he climbed over the hood of a car.

"Huh? But I'm not tired." Jaune said, hoping off the other side.

"I know, but the Fallen get more active at night."

"Ah, okay. Any ideas?" He asked, looking around at his surroundings. The trees had thinned out a bit, revealing a cliff that lead down to a large expanse that might have once been a city. Now it was almost completely flat, save for the footprints of a few buildings and a dozen or so structures that still had one or two stories standing.

"If we can get down there, we might be able to find a safe place and maybe scavenge some more material." Crocea said, floating to the edge before looking back at him, "Though getting down might take some- JAUNE!"

Jaune had taken one look at the drop while Crocea had been speaking and gotten an idea in his head. After taking a few steps back, Jaune Linked and stored his rifle. He then proceeded to sprint forward and throwing himself over the edge.

The cliff was a _lot_ higher than it had looked.

Jaune came to this realization about four seconds into his free fall. He had another four seconds to regret his choice before the ground rushed up to greet him.

.

.

.

Jaune winced as he was once more viewing the world from Crocea Mors point of view. Despite neither of them saying anything, he could feel the judgement radiating from her.

"I'm sorry?" He tried, wincing as he was rematerialized at the bottom of the cliff.

Crocea floated up to eye level, slowly moving towards his face, forcing him to take a step back. Then another. Then another. Then he tripped over a rock and fell flat on his back.

"How about." Crocea stated, "You _think_ a little _before_ you jump." She continued to glare at him, before mumbling lowly, "New Risens…. I swear..."

Jaune swallowed before he nodded his head rapidly.

"Good. Now, let's go find some shelter."

Half an hour later, Jaune pulled a large locker over the entrance to the back office of a gas station they had decided to hide for the night in. After making sure his rifle was loaded and within easy reach, he sat down.

He quickly stood back up, glaring at the sharp, rusted object he'd sat down on. Even with armor, it was an unpleasant experience. After clearing away his sitting spot, Jaune resettled back down, watching Crocea's light shining off the fauna and vines that had found life inside the worn and broken office.

"So, I'm a Warlock." Jaune said, observing the Linked space he share with Crocea, "But I don't really feel like the scholarly type."

"Well, while Warlocks are renowned for knowledge, and it _is_ something you will have to work on, especially when we reach the Tower and you meet Ikora, they are _feared_ by our enemies for their power." Crocea explained, "While a Titan can withstand incredible damage without falling, and a Hunter can outpace even the fastest foe, neither can compare to a well equipped and knowledgeable Warlock."

"Huh." Jaune said, feeling a little better, "So. How do I begin unlocking my Light? You said each class of Guardian has a special 'ability' that allow them to harness the Light."

"Well, most of it comes in time. Your light will continue to grow the longer you live, though it can grow far faster if you are constantly faced with challenging enemies."

"Ok, so when will I start unlocking things?" Jaune asked again, reading over a few descriptions of the Last City that Crocea had assigned him.

"Well, if you look here," She said, drawing his attention to a set of symbols in the upper left hand side of his 'loadout screen'. He focused on it and began reading the information, "Right here shows your, I guess you could call it your 'level', a basic measurement of your Light. While it's not exact, it does give you a rough idea of how much more light you need to unlock certain abilities."

"Huh, I'm what, almost three quarters full already?" He asked, slightly confused.

"Well, three quarters to your first ability." Crocea clarified, "Most Guardians unlock either a grenade or an advanced melee attack first, and the bar will reset to show how much more Light you need to unlock the next."

"As you grow in each class, and as your Light gets stronger, so too do you abilities." She continued, "Most Guardians will find which 'channel' of light they prefer the most. Between Sol, Void, and Arc, there is a lot of variety. Mastery over any one of them requires much time and focus."

"Ok, and the 'highlighted' one is what I am currently 'channeling'?"

"Correct. Right now, you channel Arc energy. I'm not sure, but it might be because the Dregs you fought were using Arc type weapons. Your subconscious must have picked up on that and decided that is what you would begin with."

"Huh." Jaune thought, letting the information seep in, "So when I reach my first 'level', what do you think it will be?"

"Hmm, given that you were using your bare hands, I'd put money on it being an enhanced melee."

"Ok. What do you mean by enhanced?"

"Well, Arc Warlocks can channel their Light into their palms and strike enemies several feet away. I think they call it Thunderstrike? Anyways, it lets them cast Arc Lightning that can do tremendous damage to your foes. Some have even been able to make the lightning chain through four or five enemies if their close by."

Jaune thought about that for a few seconds, how useful would _that_ have been a few hours ago. He could have cut the whole fight down to a few seconds if he'd been able to cast something like that.

"Wow, that sounds really useful." He said, "I kinda hope I get that first. You said others get a grenade?"

"Yup, in time, so will you, and there are several types." Crocea said excitedly, "One type basically creates a small thunderstorm that lasts for five or six seconds, absolutely annihilating anything inside it. Another one can seek out and strike at two or three enemies in its radius, and with training, can target even more. And the last one creates a pulsing orb that really screws over anything it touches."

Jaune was starry eyed as she listed off the different things he could do.

"Now, I don't know everything about Warlocks, we Ghosts were given… basically an overview of history and what each class can do. I didn't even know you'd be a Warlock when I found you."

"So this Ikora will know more?"

"Yes, she's the head Warlock's Vanguard. She is one of the oldest, and highest skilled of all currently operational Warlocks and is our representative to the Council and the Vanguard."

"She sounds powerful." Jaune said, imaging how strong someone would have to be to hold that position.

"Undoubtedly," Crocea agreed, "She, and the rest of the Vanguard are some of the most experienced Guardians out there. It's their job to help manage the defence of the Last City and other colonies who need help."

"I can't wait to meet them." he said.

"I bet. Though it might take some time to get there."

"How far do we have to go?"

Crocea's shell seemed to twist a little in discomfort, "Well, if we had a ship, we could make there in a few minutes, but since we're on foot, and I couldn't pick up any other Guardians on the comms, a few weeks a best?"

Jaune grimaced, while he apparently didn't tire after walking all day, _weeks_ worth of walking sounded downright miserable. Not to mention any and all Fallen he'd inevitably run across.

"Is there anywhere nearby that might have a ship?" He asked, panning through the Link to the map that Crocea had.

"Well, there is an old Golden Age shipyard about half a days walk to the north, but, it's pretty heavily patrolled by the Fallen." Crocea said, "Unless we manage to be really sneaky, the chances of a Captain, or worse, finding us are pretty high."

Jaune's brief hope dimmed, "Oh, okay. I guess I'm not strong enough for that just yet."

"Not yet, but you will someday. In the meantime, you'll get stronger as we go. And I can make you more weapons and better armor along the way."

Jaune brightened up a little, while he'd yet to have a chance to use his auto rifle, the thought of having stronger gear and weapons was a decent consolation prize. Crocea had told him how she was able to use his Light, along with material she found on dead enemies to craft ammo, weapons, and armor.

According to Crocea, the quality of gear depended not only on his light, but also the material at hand. She'd also mentioned that the higher tier gear required schematics or blueprints that had to be decrypted by someone called a Cryptarch before she could make them.

With that in mind, Jaune turned his attention back to the Link, asking questions about the past and different places she'd been while she was searching for him. Nightfall came quickly, though it passed just as fast, with the young Guardian listening in rapt attention to the tales of distant wars and heroes of the past.

* * *

Morning found the Guardian and his Ghost walking through the remains of the town. Despite having neither eaten nor slept, Jaune felt as fresh as he'd been the day before. Yet another miracle of this Light he was now a wielder of. After passing through another destroyed block of town, with Crocea floating next to him, Jaune paused as the Ghost turned to look down a street corner.

Memories of yesterday's fight sprung to the front of Jaune's mind and he whipped his rifle up, ready to fire on any enemies.

The street was empty as Jaune glanced towards his Ghost in confusion, only for her to float off towards a strange looking plant. Jaune followed after, weapon held down but ready for anything.

"What is it?" He asked, stepping closer.

"Spinmetal." Crocea said, scanning the plant quickly.

Jaune watched in fascination as the plant seemed to wither away, leaving a silvery stalk and a faint glow surrounding it as the Ghost returned to him.

"Spin-whats-you-call-it?"

"Spinmetal," Crocea said again, "It's… well, it's, I guess a plant, but it's been affected by the Traveler's light, and native to earth."

"Ok, and you, collected it?" Jaune asked, still not sure why it was rellevent.

"Yes, many things that have been touched by the Traveler are useful to Guardians. I can use it to upgrade specific armor or weapons."

Jaune raised his eyebrows before nodding, that made sense. "Oh, okay." He glanced at the remaining spinmetal, "Why didn't you take all of it?" He asked.

"It's a courtesy among Guardians and Ghosts," She explained, "Never take more than 90% of the Light. Anything touched by the light will eventually regenerate, meaning that what we've left might save someone in the future."

Jaune was silent, it was a profound thought really. That which you spare today may be all you have tomorrow. Crocea had found him, a pile of bones, and had resurrected him to stand as a protector. Somehow, that reasoning resonated within him.

"So I take it we should be on the lookout for spinmetal?"

"On earth, yes." Crocea said, "Other places have different plants or other forms of organic Light. I can give you a complete list if you'd like."

Jaune tried to hide his wince, "Uh, how about you update me on all relevant resources for each place we visit?" He said. After spending literally all night trying to catch up on humanity's history, hours spent studying geology or botany or whatever this was called was _not_ at the top of his todo list.

"So, where exactly are we headed, geographically?" Jaune asked, trying to deflect any future studying.

"Well, west right now, and a bit south." Crocea answered, apparently not seeing his attempt at deflection, "The Traveller is located near what the pre Golden Age called Jerusalem. Right now we are somewhere to the north, we should be able to see the walls in the next couple days."

Jaune nodded, filing away the information while recalling the map he'd seen in the Link.

As they continued their trek, Jaune still marveled at the lack of strain his body felt. No exhaustion, no real strain. He was never out of breath! It was amazing. Passing one burned, abandoned town after another, miles fell behind them without notice.

Every once in a while, Crocea would break off a little to collect more spinmetal, breaking down the plants and storing the useful parts in a backpack she had created for Jaune. She explained that after they got a ship, they'd be able to story any and all resources on it without the need to carry it around. Until then, though, Jaune would have to mule it around.

The terrain, while uneven, wasn't treacherous. The forest held wide paths that were easy to navigate, the trees cast a pleasant shade over the Guardian and his Ghost as they continued on their way. Occasionally, they'd pass ruins of towns or evidence of others passing through the area. Even when higher hills rose up, there was always a clear path.

It was nearing the end of the second day when Jaune heard a strange noise coming from further ahead of them. Stopping and cocking his head, he picked up the faint sound of a motor or engine of some kind.

Crocea heard it too, "Sounds like a Pike," She said, "A Fallen speeder with heavy, automatic weapons."

He perked up, "You think we can steal one?"

Crocea hovered for a moment in consideration, "Yes! Now that you've got a weapon, it shouldn't be too hard at all. Plus, it'll save us a massive amount of time."

Jaune nodded and shouldered his rifle as the drew closer to the sound.

Looking over a small hill, Jaune picked out a small camp of Fallen set in the middle of a clearing. He counted six Dregs, four Shanks, and one larger Fallen. All of them lounging or walking around a collection of crates and small tents. Two of the Dregs had a speeder half disassembled and appeared to be trying to fix it.

Three more Dregs on Pikes were just disappearing into the trees, "They must be going out on patrol." Crocea said, watching as the trio before turning her attention back to those in the camp.

"That big one in the middle is a Captain." She noted, "Much heavier weapons, and an energy shield. He's gonna be a little trickier to deal with, but might have some good material on him."

Jaune nodded, crouching low behind bushes. "Ok, so how do you think I should go in?"

"Loudly," Crocea said, a hint of excitement in her voice, "That Pike's fuel cell is exposed, one or two rounds should set the entire thing off. That'll rile them up."

Jaune grinned back. Removing his backpack, he flicked the safety of his weapon off before crouching down. Taking a deep breath, the Guardian burst from his cover, rifle at his shoulder as he closed the distances between himself and the camp.

The sound of movement allerted the Fallen, who looked around in confusion for a moment before spotting the charging man. High pitched clicks and chatter sounded as their weapons were drawn and fired. Jaune dipped to one side, avoiding a shot that would have taken his head off as he aligned his sights with the exposed fuel cell Crocea had pointed out.

His rifle spoke, a crisp, sharp bark that was echoed by a loud explosion as the Pike detonated, killing three Dregs instantaneously. "This is _so_ much easier!" He laughed as he spun and targeted one of the flying Shanks.

Another brief pull of the trigger saw the machine go down in a mess of sparks and smoke.

Two more Dregs fell quickly after, his bullets tearing through armor with ease as he cut their numbers down even further. The last dreg rolled out of cover, a glowing stick looking thing in its hand. Jaune shot it in the head, causing the small Fallen to drop the device. A second later it exploded with a crackle of electricity, taking an unfortunate Shank down with it.

Jaune turned to unleash another burst of fire, only for his eyes to widen as he jerked his head to the side. It seemed the Captain was less than pleased to have someone trashing his camp. The taller Fallen proceeded to charge in with a pair of large swords in it's upper hands, swinging the blades towards the head of the intruder.

Jaune kicked off the ground, barely avoiding the sweeping strike as he tried to build distance between himself and the Captain. Taking his first good look at the bigger enemy, Jaune had a moment to process the fact that the Fallen was almost the same height as he was, if not taller, though far more muscular. And with a lot more armor.

The Captain huffed at him, as if disappointed. The air around it shimmered blue as Jaune fired his rifle again.

"Oh shit."

The Captain roared as the bullets were deflected and it charged him again. Jaune's eyes widened as dual blades bore down on him, back peddling, he emptied the rest of his magazine into the Fallen to no effect.

Hitting the mag release, Jaune grabbed for a new mag and slammed it into the rifle, firing as soon as he blue energy rippled again as the Fallen ducked low, holding it's blades in front of its face before leaping forwards.

The rounds continued to do nothing against the enraged enemy as it bore down on him.

"Wait! That's a Shock Captain!" Jaune heard Crocea cry out,

Jaune tripped on a rock.

The Captain let out a roar of victory as it's blades bit into his armor, sliding slightly to the side moment's before it could pierce his chest but pinning him to the ground beneath the large Fallen. Jaune felt panic rising in him as the Captain released the swords, keeping him in place. It raised its arms high, as if to deliver a two handed strike.

Desperate, still alien to the idea of a temporary death, Jaune summoned all his strength. As the Captain brought its arms down, he let go of his rifle and struck forward with his right hand in hopes of lessening the blow.

Lightning lashed from his hand, the smell of ozone filled his nose and a flash seared his vision as the bolt collided with the Captain.

A shriek of pain sounded as the lightning traveled through the Fallen, singing its clothes and causing its body to spasm.

Jaune stared in disbelief, looking between his hand and the Fallen as the shield around the Captain visibly shattered.

Blinking away his shock, Jaune hastily grabbed his rifle and fired it with one hand, still pinned to the ground. The recoil nearly tore it from his grasp, leaving the barrel pointed somewhere skyward.

The Captain took a shaky step backwards, blood seeping from half a dozen holes that trailed from it's hip to its shoulder. Another growl broke from its mouth before it dropped like a stringless puppet.

Jaune watched the still twitching form for a few seconds, not quite believing what had happened. A bullet glancing off his armor reminded him there were still enemies in the area. Reaching up, he ripped one of the swords from his clothing, still flat on his back, before aiming at one of the final Shanks.

The machine burst into sparks and flames, quickly followed by its kin.

Juane took a deep breath, simply glad to be alive and not dead, before removing the other sword that held him to the ground. Standing up, he reloaded again as Crocea floated over to him.

"That was amazing!" She said, hovering in front of him, "Looks like I was right. Enhanced melee for the win!"

Jaune couldn't help but smile as she zipped away from him to begin scavenging the fallen enemies. A sense of pride swelling up inside him as he cradled his weapon in an easy hold. While Crocea was busy, he wandered over to the speeders, hoping one of them worked. As he was inspecting the strange controls, Crocea came back, her pieces shifting rapidly in what he guessed was excitement.

"Link up!" She chirped.

Jaune did so, slipping into the familiar place he shared with the Ghost. Crocea quickly directed him to the armor slots, which proved to have a new item in it. It was a helmet.

Jaune examined the piece in his mind's eye; it had a narrow view port covered in a black, glassy material that ran down the front, with a golden trim around it. White, swept-back plates served to protect the front, while the rear had a series of downward swept plates, also trimmed in gold.

Grinning to himself, he focused on the helmet and felt the weight settle onto his head.

Exiting the Link, Jaune blinked in surprise. Given how narrow the glassy material was, he had expected his field of view to have been severely narrowed. Instead, it almost seemed larger. On top of that, there were multiple holographic projections displayed across his view.

Crocea quickly flitted into view, "Now that you have a helmet, you look like a real Guardian!" She exclaimed, "Oh, you're gonna love this."

Before Jaune's eyes, Crocea seemed to break apart and vanish into his armor. Before he could ask what happened, he heard her voice again.

"I'm still here, but now I can fully interface with you," She explained, "while I can basically do the same thing outside your armor, this helps keep me out of direct fire."

"Ah. That makes sense." Jaune said, moving his head around. Just like with the rest of his armor, the helmet did little to impede his range of motion.

"This also lets us speak privately." Crocea continued, "I can also add overlays, way points, and feed details into your HUD more easily like this."

A diamond shape appeared in the left hand corner of his view, drawing his attention to the pikes, specifically one farthest from the one he'd blown up. "That pike is in the best condition," Crocea said helpfully.

"Ok, how do I make it work?"

"Well, hop on and I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The night was fading as the first light of the third day ignited the horizon. Jaune powered down the pike, crawling off the machine and standing upright, he sighed in relief as he felt his joints pop. They'd been traveling at full speed for hours, nearly all night and he was in desperate need for a little stretch. Crocea materialized a moment later, the pieces of her shell flexing outwards for a moment before she began to flit back and forth, apparently agreeing with him.

Walking around in a circle, Jaune examined their rest area. They'd stopped on the crest of a low mountain range, the sun peaking past the horizon to their left, lighting the horizon in a blaze of pink and orange.

The Guardian paused, at the sight before reaching up to his helmet. Carefully placing his hands to the sides of his head and lifted it up. The head piece came off with no resistance, letting the breeze ruffle his hair as he watched the first rays break the horizon.

Rays of golden fire chased away darkness, forcing it to hide in what shadows it could as the sky bled orange and pink and blue and yellow. Jaune stood in absolute silence, barely daring to breath for fear of shattering the majesty of the new day.

Crocea slowly floated up by his shoulder.

Jaune spared a brief moment to look over at the little Ghost, her shell abnormally still as she gazed reverently at the new dawn.

They stayed like that, neither speaking as the minutes passed by. Jaune wanted to say something, but had no idea what to say. Instead, he waited and watched, basking in sun as its rays fell across him and his Ghost, chasing away the last vestiges of the nights chill.

It was a new day.

A new _chance_.

Jaune stood in silent thought. He had been given a new life. He swore, then and there, to the end of his new eternity, to ensure as many as possible would have a chance to witness this same beauty. He was a Guardian now, and it was his duty to stand against any whom dared challenge him and those he was destined to protect.

As long as he drew a breath of life, he would stand and fight. He would face his foes to the last. A smile broke across his face.

It was his Destiny.

* * *

**Ok. So this is a new story, obviously. I'm a pretty big Destiny fan and with all the lore and storylines and just WTF moments that have been happening in D2, I got this idea in my head. And couldn't get rid of it. So this happened. I'm going to be aiming for larger chapter sizes on this one, so longer update times (obviously because I'm lazy).**

**But this is also a nice way for me to step back from AF for a little bit and clear my mind before I start making MORE continuity errors in that one. **

**And! Guess who else plays Destiny!**

**I'm just his drug dealer. I don't help the problem, I just keep offering more.**

**Yeah, Destiny was fun. The OG trailers, I probably watched them over 15 times. This idea was an interesting one. Destiny has some really hidden gems. (Fucking whole website instead of in the damn game hidden) **

**For those of you who have yelled at me to write. Fair enough. It'll be out within the week of this chapter.**

**You heard right, Jaeger is finally gonna start updating too! Yay! **

**Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hah! Guess what! Updating this finally. Got to a hotel with internet and a few days down due to weather so guess what I did.**

**That's right! Been grinding the hell out of D2. Got my Revoker and Devil's Ruin and half a dozen other things. **

***ah hem* **

**And trying to write more.**

**At least Destiny is giving me more Lore to incorporate!?**

Chapter 2

* * *

Destiny could shove it.

That was the single thought Jaune had slowly come to in the past five hours as the exhausted Guardian finally managed to grasp the ledge above him. Gingerly testing his footing, he placed a little more pressure on his right leg, wincing as the stone beneath it shifted ominously. Gritting his teeth, he reached up with his other hand and prayed.

A minute ticked by, the whisper of the wind below him caused his fists to tighten on their precarious hold.

With an excessive amount of care, Jaune slowly drew himself up. Inch by inch, the young warlock hoisted himself higher. His ears strained for any sounds of falling rocks and his feet steady as he climbed the last foot or so, his chest breaking over the edge of the cliff.

As soon as his upper body was on firm ground, Jaune exploded into motion, hands flailing and legs thrashing as he did his utmost to put as much distance between himself and the hole he'd just climbed out of.

A chasm or bottomless pit would probably be a better descriptor than 'hole', though. At least in Jaune's mind.

Taking a ragged, well deserved gulp of air, Jaune rolled over onto his back and stared at the bright blue sky. Wincing as he felt strained and tired muscles finally being able to relax, he deemed it nap time.

"Well, Guardian. I'm glad you made it out." Crocea said, gleaming into existence near his shoulder.

Jaune swatted a hand towards the small thing, though the appendage was slow and swung wide by almost a foot. "Yea… no thanks to you."

"I'd say quite to the contrary." The Ghost said, and Jaune could just _feel_ the smugness in her voice, "I believe this was a rather unique learning experience for you. You would probably qualify as a mountain ranger quite easily after this."

"I would rather die." Jaune stated, pausing for a moment to think that phrase over, "I take that back. I'm over dying."

"Even still, your determination is to be commended." Crocea continued, "I am certain any other guardian would have given up the climb hours ago in favor of transmatting to their ship."

"_We_. Do not. Have. a ship." Jaune ground out, his ire coloring his words.

"True, but that does not diminish the feat of accomplishment." The Ghost seemed to blink as Jaune Linked his helmet away and glared at her, "I'm being serious here. You just climbed nearly eight hundred feet of shear rock." She said defensively.

Jaune just snorted and rolled over, pushing his tired body up to a kneeling position as he shot the chasm a hateful look.

A few yards before him, the ground simply seemed to vanish. A swath cut through the earth, directly across the road he'd been traveling on throughout the night. He shivered at the thought of trying to crawl out of that pit in the dark.

Darker than it already was down there anyways.

Shaking his head, he stood up and reLinked his helmet. "So, how much further?" He asked, turning his thoughts back to the path before him, and away from his Pike. Which was currently a smoldering ruin at the bottom of the pit.

Crocea floated up next to his shoulder, her pieces rotating as she thought. "About another week if we keep up a steady pace. Though there is a chance we'll hit a human settlement, since we are getting closer to the City."

"There's people living this far out?" Jaune asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

"Some." Crocea answered, "It isn't uncommon for some to grow tired of living inside the Walls. There are many villages and small towns in the frontier. They do tend to be a little… rough though."

"What do you mean, 'rough'?"

Crocea rolled her eye, "Well, while Guardian's aren't uncommon, most of the towns consist of regular people. Those strong enough to survive outside the Walls are often quite self sufficient to put it lightly. They must be able to fight off roving Fallen and provide largely for themselves."

Jaune nodded, thinking back to how he'd struggled to deal with his enemies at the start. To face them without unlimited lives made him shudder. The people had to be strong to last long out here.

"Welp, not much point in hanging around here." Jaune said with one last glance towards the pit behind him.

"Right, right." Crocea agreed, "We're burning daylight."

* * *

It was three days after losing his pike before Jaune saw any signs of life aside from roving patrols of Fallen, no pikes however. Standing on what once was the balcony of an apartment complex, though the upper floors were long gone, he stared out at a distant flicker of smoke.

"Do you think it's Fallen?" He asked.

His ghost gave what he assumed was a shrug, two of her pieces shifting up and down once. "More than likely, but we are close enough to the walls that it might be people. Either way, its supplies and possibly a ride to the walls."

Jaune shrugged, Linking and retrieving his rifle. "Well, what do you say to taking it slow and easy?"

"Sounds like a Warlock plan if I've ever heard one." She said, dissolving into a sparkle of motes.

Jaune nodded and leapt off the balcony, flexing his legs as he landed before making his way towards the lazy wisp in the distance.

An hour later, Jaune slowed his pace even further. The thin trail of smoke grew thicker as he drew closer, and he could faintly hear various sounds that differed from the usual hum of forest life.

Crouching low, he began to belly crawl through the brush, coming to a stop halfway in a bush. The ground was covered in a thick moss like growth that was surprisingly soft, he gently pushed a stiff branch out of his way. On the other side of the bush, a shallow valley opened up before him. Nestled among the trees stood a village, a human village. Jaune's eyes widened behind his visor as he watched a group of children kicking a ball back and forth while several adults tended to various chores.

One man, a rifle slung over his shoulder, was helping a woman hang up a large blanket on a piece of wire. He noted the woman was carrying a pistol on her hip. On the other side of the little camp, three more people were carrying a large log between themselves.

Jaune could barely tear his eyes away. People, actual people were here. A large smile blossomed across his face as he watched from his cover. Idly, he felt the branch he'd pushed away rub against the back of his helmet, he waved a hand over his head to brush it away.

"Wow," He said under his breath, "It looks like they've got quite the set up here."

Several large buildings stood around a large clearing, though somewhat ramshackle, they looked sturdy enough. Large pieces of metal and tarps were used as patches for the more worn buildings, though several were clearly newer. Large logs had been carefully cut and carved to fit together snugly, and clearly made to last for a long time.

The branch came back to click against his helmet again.

"Looks like everyone is carrying some form of weapon," He idly noted to himself, "But I would have thought they'd have some kind of guard set up, you know?"

"Oh, I'd bet my shell that they do." Crocea said, having rematerialized next to him, "You probably just haven't noticed them yet." For some reason she wasn't looking at him or the camp.

"I think I would have noticed them if I'd walked by one." Jaune said as he glanced over at her, "I haven't seen or heard anything besides birds for a while now."

Nearby, a bird whistled.

"See? Like that." He said, turning his attention back towards the small village.

Crocea turned to stare at him, "Maybe that wasn't a bird," She said, "Maybe it was a signal?"

Jaune huffed, "I doubt it."

The bird gave another whistle, it sounded like it was right beside him. He kinda wanted to see what kind it was, but at the same time he didn't want to scare it away. Instead, he gently brushed the branch away from his head again.

"See?" He said, glancing at the Gxcdsc host, "That sounds exactly like a real bird."

"Why, thank you." A low voice said, sounding amused to the point of giggling.

"Anyways," Jaune said, watching the kids playing at the edge, "I wonder how I should introduce myself. Should I just walk up and say hi?"

"That'd probably be better than watching from a bush like some kind of creep."

Jaune blinked and looked at Crocea, "You can change your voice?" He asked, realizing she sounded a bit different.

Crocea didn't say anything for several moments, her shutter twitching slightly she seemed to glance between him and the bush he was hiding in. "No, Jaune. No I cannot." She finally said, her voice the same somewhat tinny sound he was familiar with.

"Huh?" Jaune asked, focusing on the ghost, "But if that wasn't you, then…"

The branch tinked against his helmet in a slow rhythmic pattern, with more force than he would expect from a piece of wood swaying in the breeze. It also sounded mildly metallic. Something filtered into the forefront of the Guardian's thoughts.

"Not that I'm not flattered," THE BUSH ITSELF SAID, "but you're kinda heavy. You mind getting off my lap?"

Jaune froze still as a board before slowly turning his head towards the sound of the voice. Blinking, he could almost see what looked like a face behind the leaves and branches.

The face smiled.

Looking further to the side, Jaune noticed the branch that had been tapping at the back of his helmet. The muzzle break on the end made his eyes cross. Very slowly, Jaune crawled back the way he came, acutely aware that what he'd _thought _was soft moss was actually clothing.

Clothing that someone was wearing.

"Oh thank the Traveler, I can feel my legs." The bush said as it shifted to the side, the part he'd been laying on breaking away from the rest of it the person stood up. "You can drop the helmet, if you don't mind." The figure said as the branch looking rifle leveled itself at his chest.

Crocea floated up next to his shoulder as his helmet was stored back in the Link. She did not look very impressed with him. To be fair, Jaune wasn't very impressed with himself either at the moment, something more than likely obvious since it felt like his face was bright red.

"Huh. You ain't half bad looking." The bush person said, one leaf covered arm coming up to pull off the head garb. "What's your name, Guardian?"

"Uh… Jaune." He said, scratching the back of his head.

A smirk touched the other person's face, her darker toned skin was covered in what he assumed was paint. Streaks of black, brown and various shades of green surrounded dark brown eyes. "Hmm, guessing you're new, if ya ain't got a last name yet." She said, resting the rifle on her shoulder.

Jaune nodded as Crocea floated forwards a little, "Less than a week old," She said, "He's still learning about things." Her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper, "He a little slow, but he's got spirit."

The woman laughed as Jaune's cheeks heated up more, rubbing his arm with one hand. "Um, yea, sorry about that. I didn't even see you there."

"Well, thank you for the compliment," She said, giving a small bow, "You can call me Suraya. Pleasure to meet you, Jaune and…?" She trailed off, glancing at the Ghost.

"Oh, right. This is Crocea Mors." Jaune said, gesturing towards the machine before turning back "It's nice to meet you, Suraya. You're the first person I've met since Crocea resurrected me."

"Well, then let me introduce you to some more." Suraya said before letting out a bird call, a moment later another call answered from somewhere to their left. "It's about time for my break anyways." She said, tossing her head in the direction of the village before turning and walking down the hill.

Jaune waited for her to get a few feet in front of him before he turned to Crocea.

"Why didn't you warn me?!" He whisper yelled, subtly glancing between the bush lady and the smug looking Ghost.

"I gave you plenty of hints, Jaune." She answered back, at normal speaking volume, "Besides, I didn't even notice her there until it was too late anyways."

"When was 'too late'?" He asked, "When I was laying in her lap?"

"Yes, about then. Right about the time you pushed her rifle out of the way."

Jaune gestured wildly for a moment, trying to express his annoyance with the little floating ball. Finally, he gave up in favor of crossing his arms and sullenly following Suraya the last two or so hundred yards to the settlement.

"Hey, Jorge!" Suraya shouted as they drew closer, "Tell Ma we got a visitor!"

One of the men who had been carrying logs from the forest looked up, his gaze shifting to guardian behind her before nodding and turning towards one of the larger buildings. Suraya glanced over her shoulder to to Jaune, "Come on, take a seat by the fire. I'm gonna go un-ghillie myself."

Jaune gave a word of thanks as he moved towards the large fire pit in front of what he assumed was a lodge. Several spits of meat were turning over the fire, the smell of spices and herbs wafted over him.

His stomach growled loudly.

"Why hello there, Guardian." A new voice called from behind him. Turning, Jaune saw a woman with gray and green robes coming out of the lodge. Her hair was sandy colored, with shocks of grey running through the neatly tied braid falling over her shoulder down to her waist. Lightly tanned skin, weather worn with deep lines and a warm smile that seemed to make her glow.

Jaune leapt to his feet and gave a small bow, "Ah, hello Ma'am. Sorry to intrude, I was just passing through on my way to the city."

"Oh, do away with the posh." She said, smiling brightly at him, "You'll make me feel old calling me that. Sit, sit. I'm sure you've been traveling a while." She waved at the collection of benches and chairs that surrounded the fire pit and a long table that stood to the side. "And call me Ma, or Juniper, please. I'm not that old."

Jaune smiled at her as he drew out a chair and sat down. It felt nice to actually have a proper chair for once, and he leaned back with a sigh.

"So," Ma said, drawing up a chair opposite him and uncorking a bottle that had been sitting to the side, "Tell me a little about yourself. I can guess at a few details, but it's much more fun to hear them."

Jaune took the glass she offered, bringing it to his lips and sniffing at the amber liquid before taking a sip. A fruity apple flavor exploded in his mouth, his eyes widening as he downed the drink.

"My my, thirsty, are we?" The woman laughed as Jaune took a deep breath, "Or is the cider that good?"

Jaune wiped his mouth with the back of his gloves, "That's delicious! I've never tasted anything like that before." He said, savoring the lingering flavor, "Well, not that I've really tasted much."

"A newly risen Guardian," Juniper nodded, "I suppose you're in quite the hurry to make it to the city, then."

Crocea floated up next to his shoulder, "Well, yes and no. More make it to civilization."

"Why hello, little Ghost." The woman said, turning her smile to her, "I suppose you must be quite happy to have found your Guardian."

"Yes, very much so. Even if he's a little prone to falling."

"Hey," Jaune huffed, "I take offence to that. I've accomplished more than just falling to my death."

"Quite," Jaune hunched as Suraya's voice spoke up behind him, "Like crawling into my lap without seeing me."

Juniper let out a trilling laugh as the younger woman sat down at the corner of the table, a smug grin on her face. Jaune's face buried itself into the table. "Like I said," Crocea chirped, "He is still learning about the world."

After a few moments of laughter, Juniper finally took pity on him with a soft pat on the head, "Well, we can hardly send you back off into the wilds like you are." She said, a motherly smile flashing across her face. "Tell me a little about yourself."

Jaune sat back up and accepted another glass of apple juice, sipping it slowly this time. "Well, like Crocea told Suraya, I've only been Raised for about a week. Crocea has got me fairly caught up on the whole 'Guardian' thing, along with some equipment."

Juniper nodded, "So I see, I take it you've already encountered some Fallen then?"

He nodded, "Yes Ma'am -"

A raised eyebrow cut him off.

"Er, uh. Juniper." He corrected himself, "Crocea was able to make me armor and a weapon already,"

"Mind if I see it?" Suraya piped up.

Jaune shrugged and retrieved his auto rifle from the link, handing it over to her. "Oh, and I've already unlocked my first Ability."

Suraya was turning the Pariah over in her hands, "Oh? What did you get?"

"Melea. Arc class." He answered, sipping more of his juice.

A wider smile stretched stretched across the older woman's face, "My, what a coincidence."

Jaune blinked at the woman, before glancing over at Crocea, who shrugged her shell. He looked back at Juniper with a puzzled expression.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it," She said, "Our little clan here, and my last name." With a small flourish, she swept one hand out and around to the buildings and people working and playing, "Welcome to the Arc Clan Farm. No relation to the class, but an amusing occurrence nonetheless."

Jaune felt a small grin crawl across his face, "Huh, that is funny."

"Well you are more than welcome to join us for supper." She said, "Though we may not have a lot, we are more than willing to share what we can."

"Oh, thank you. But like I said, I wouldn't want to impose." Jaune said, waving a hand in front of him, "I don't really have anything to pay you back with anyways."

"You can fight, can't you?" Suraya asked, handing his rifle back, "Or is this just a fancy paper weight?"

Jaune let the rifle disappear into thin air, "I can… but I'm not very good at it."

"I'll make you a deal, Jaune." Juniper said, filling his glass up once more, "We have a shipment of produce heading to the city here in two weeks. We usually put out a patrol beacon a week before hand and wait for a Guardian willing to escort it to the city. If you are willing to wait, I'm certain we can keep you fed until then."

"Maybe we can get some training into you as well," Suraya added, shooting him a smirk, "Wouldn't do for you to show up to the Vanguard without _some_ experience."

Jaune mulled it over for a total of three seconds, the meat cooking over the fire next to him _did_ smell amazing, and with a nod from Crocea, reached out and shook hands. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

"Not bad, Guardian." Suraya said with a slow clap as she walked up behind him, "Not bad at all."

Jaune grunted and rolled his shoulder, feeling the now familiar relief of Light that wash over his body. At his feet lay a dozen or so Dregs, a scouting party that had ventured into the valley he and Suraya had been camping.

The ambush had gone off cleanly, with her hiding up in the cliff side with her rifle - a DMR he'd learned - and him hiding among the rocks. He'd waited till the last one had passed his position before opening up with his auto-rifle. All in all, the fight had taken less than twenty seconds, and according to Suraya, fast enough that a call for backup was almost impossible.

He hadn't even died!

He grinned at the darker toned woman, who he'd learned had just turned 19, before setting about scavagening weapon parts and other valuables from their enemies. Ten pieces of Spinmetal and four hundred Glimmer later, he helped drag the remains towards a boulder resting to the side of the ravine.

With a heave, he dropped the body he was carrying down the hole behind the rock. Suraya had explained that the Fallen patrols disappearing out in the wilds was common. Less common were large numbers of bodies riddled with bullets being found.

The Arc Clan had taken to striking in seemingly random areas, often far from their Farm, and hiding the bodies either underground or burned. Suraya dumped the last Dreg carcass in the hole and tossed a glass bottle down after it, quickly followed by a match.

"Ya know," She said, readjusting her rifle, "This would be a lot easier if you were a Sol Warlock, I hear they can disintegrate their enemies completely."

Jaune shrugged, "I don't think I'll be able to do that for a long time. Crocea said that Guardian's have to study for years to master their abilities."

"Eh, sounds boring." She said, turning and slinging one of their packs over her shoulder, "I'd rather just live my life out here. Way more peaceful than being cooped up in the City."

"Is that where you're from?"

"Yea, pretty much everyone is from the City." She said, giving him a look as he gathered the remaining four bags of loot like they were nothing. "That's just unfair."

"Want me to carry yours too? It looks a little heavy." Jaune teased, resting the bags under one arm, his gun held in the other.

"Shove off." She grumbled halfheartedly, turning and back tracking her way towards the Farm, a grinning Jaune following behind.

* * *

Starlight twinkled above as Jaune sat overlooking the Farm. He idly traced various constellations the others had told him about and watching the occasional flare of a ships engine as they streaked across the sky. He wondered what the world looked like from up there, what the other places Crocea had told him about looked like. It was a sobering thought.

"That's an awfully long look you're wearing, Jaune." A voice shook him from his thoughts.

Turning slightly, Jaune noticed Nicolas Arc - Juniper's husband - climb up the last ledge to the roof he'd been sitting on. "Oh, Mr Ar- Sorry, Nicolas, I hope I wasn't disturbing you." He said, wondering if he'd started humming again.

It'd been an odd tick he'd found himself struggling with after the first couple of days of being around other people.

The older man gave a soft chuckle, "Not at all, son." A gentle smile on his face, "Just wanted to thank you for the help around the place."

Jaune blinked, "I don't feel like I've done all that much."

"Nonsense." Nicolas tapped his shoulder as he settled down next to him, "From what Suraya tells me, the Farm is safer because of you."

Jaune blushed, while compliments were common since he'd arrived at the farm, he still felt awkward about them. Maybe it was another quirk from his past life. Still, he murmured out his acceptance before turning back to the sky.

"Ya know, I've often wondered what lies out there." Nicolas spoke up, letting the statement hang in the air for a moment before continuing, "Then I realize how much I would miss out on down here. Guess I came to realize that what is most important isn't what is out of our reach, but that what we can hold on to."

Jaune let the words linger before shifting his gaze from the sky back to the Farm. They were sitting on the barn/storage shed overlooking the lodge and cooking pits. "What if what you _want_ is out of your reach?" He asked.

"_Want_ is out of reach." The other man replied, "It's an ever changing thing. There are only three things anyone ever truly desires. At least those of us who aren't insane."

"Three things?" Jaune's brows furrowed, while he might be young, he could think of more than three things he wanted.

Nicolas nodded softly, "Yup. Only three things."

Jaune narrowed his eyes at the man. This was another of his word games, something the older man seemed fond of. Jaune still hadn't forgiven him for the 'eleven fingers' word game thing. "What's the three things?"

Playing ignorant had been an early lesson he'd learned in the last week and a half with the Arc Clan.

"Hmm, let's see," Nicolas made a show of stroking his dusty blonde beard, "A warm place to sleep would be the first, and second would be someone to love and grow old with. Hmm. Third is always the tricky one."

Jaune didn't miss the twinkle in his eye.

"Third, for me at least, is the knowledge that I did the absolute best I could for the second."

A light shove earned a loud laugh as Jaune shoved the man, "You're whipped. You know that right?" He declared, unwilling to fight the smile that covered his face. "Like completely whipped."

A pearly smile and bright blue eyes met his own, "Boy, someday you'll know what I'm talking about. Also, you don't get to talk shit till you can beat me in arm wrestling."

"You think Ma will like to know you're teaching me swear words?" Jaune shot back.

"I'll just blame Suraya."

"Yea, she'd probably believe that." Jaune laughed before trailing off and staring back at the stars. Together the two drifted off as one looked at the stars and one looked at the stars.

"Ya know," Nicolas said softly, "Won't be too long before you're up there, racing across the sky to fight the Darkness."

Jaune gave a glance to the star filled void before he looked back to the slumbering farm before him. "Yea, I know. But I'll have something to fight for. People to protect."

"That you will, son." Nicolas clapped him on the shoulder, "We'll be waiting for you when you get back."

* * *

**Yea, so I haven't done a second chapter to this and I regret it. Destiny is such a Lore rich game. However, as most games, it requires hours and hours *years* or playing and reading and researching to understand. **

**Even then, you still get gut punched every update by the masterminds behind the game. *Spoiler* (I DIDN'T WANT TO FIND MY OWN DAMN GRAVE THANK YOU)**

**Anyways. Still not dead. Still working. Still looking ahead to moving home.**


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